Express Yourself

When Banned Books Unlocked the Secrets of My Universe

Shelf with LGBTQ awareness books at the public library. Photo: Christina Vartanova/Shutterstock.

This is a personal piece I wrote for one of my graduate school courses around my literary autobiography. I have been rereading it out loud and multiple times for the last couple of weeks. It hits me even harder as the wave of book bans and educational gag orders are increasing over the past month. As a teacher, I cannot fathom having to withhold…